Samaroara
Samaroara is sandwiched in between Ova Demroa Kanahi and Ayana Toqa Saon. Within Samaroara lies the lake Amaroo Atani. The name Samaroara comes from the fact that the region’s soil is made up of basalt and obsidian. The rock composition of the area is the result of the now extinct supervolcano, and stratovolcano along with the two still active shield volcanoes. 'Geography and Climate' Much of Samaroara is located within a massive caldera that was left behind by a huge super volcano. Even though the supervolcano is long dead, it did leave behind two shield volcanoes. These volcanoes are actually still extremely active. However, the volcanoes here only emit liquid lava, making the lava itself not very dangerous. Both the supervolcano and the shield volcanoes are responsible for the obsidian and basalt that covers much of Samaroara’s landscape. The ground also has a high concentration of high-quality iron. There’s no one climate in Samaroara. Rather the region has four different climates. The temperature, humidity, elevation, and geology in these climates are all dependent on their distance away from the central shield volcanoes and the lakes to a lesser extent. In the center of Samaroara lies the climatic zone that’s closest to the shield volcanoes. This region is higher up than the surrounding areas. The ground here is completely covered in very sharp obsidian and basalt. Unlike the climatic zones further out, there’s no iron visible on the surface. The temperature here is searing hot. It’s hotter in this area than even in Ova Demroa Kanahi. The volcano itself isn't actually what makes this place so hot. Rather the lack of ash released by the volcanoes ensures that the sun continues shining down on ground. Both obsidian and basalt are largely black in coloration meaning that the ground absorbs the heat very effectively. The second climatic zone is located on lower elevation than the most central climatic zone. The soil here is slightly less sharp than the soil found in the central region. This area has the highest concentration of iron out of the four regions with Samaroara. But like the most central climatic region, basalt and obsidian make up most of the ground cover. The inner most fringes of this region do sometimes bear witness to the remnants of the lava released by the shield volcanoes. The third region and the one making up most of Samaroara are flatter than the other two regions. The soil here like all the other climatic zones within Samaroara is comprised of basalt and obsidian. However, the ground here isn’t generally as sharp textured as the regions located closer to the volcanoes. Climatically, it’s somewhere in between the abnormally high humidity of the forth climatic region and the dryness that’s typical throughout most of Ojasaon. The temperature here is also pretty close to the average temperature found in the rest of Ojasaon. The last region is made up of the land surrounding Amaroo Atani and Ranataga Atani. Its ground is also made up of basalt and obsidian. However, the ground here has a very smooth and fine texture in comparison to that of the climatic zones located further within Samaroara. Being located next to large bodies of water ensures that this climatic zone is always at least somewhat humid and mild temperatures. 'Flora and Fauna' The biodiversity in this region is highly varied. The most central climatic zone along with approximately a third of the second climatic zone is pretty much lifeless. But further out in the second zone, small and hardy plants like Bahamas Grass start appearing. Insects, arachnids, snakes, turtles, birds, mongooses, and small rodents are also found within the second climatic zone. Large mammals like camels, kangaroos, and boars are occasionally found in the outer fringes of this zone during nighttime. However, the animals that reign supreme in this region are large Komodo Dragon sized lizards. The third climatic zone has more biodiversity than the two zones which are closer to the shield volcanoes. Along with having larger bushes and grasses growing in this area, trees start forming. Baobabs and Manketti are by far the most common type of trees in this area. This is largely in part because they’re able to withstand the semi-arid climate of the area. Many of the same animals found within the outer parts of the second climatic zone are also found in the third one. But the main difference is that here, large mammals start to be noticeable. Animals like gazelle, hyenas, feral dogs and boars are common throughout this area. Drought resistant toads like the Sonoran Toad are extremely common, especially around small permanent bodies of water. Along the two lakes surrounding this region are both the furthest away from the shield volcanoes and has the most biodiversity. Plants like Elephant Grass, River Bush Willow, and various palm tree species are common in this region. Hemp and bamboo are both commonly found in these areas. Some the bamboo and hemp found in this region is the result of farmers. Aquatic plants like papyrus, water hyacinths, water lily pads, and eelgrass are found within the water. Most of the large animals in this area are semi-aquatic. So for instance, one would find significant numbers of crocodiles, water birds, hippos, and large bullfrogs along the waters. Many different species of fish also live within these lakes, as do Amaroo Atani’s freakishly large crayfish. It should be of no surprise that the animals that are most present here are insects. Insects in this area include grasshoppers, beetles, and dragonflies. The pools located near Amaroo Atani are however, completely devoid of any life both within their waters and along their shorelines. 'History' All of the region’s geography has been influenced by the caldera left behind the now extinct super volcano. The ashes left by the supervolcano and the stratovolcano are both hyperfertile which has helped make Samaroara one of the most fertile regions of Ojasaon. Samaroara has been the longest continually occupied part of Ojasaon. The Agiba lived mainly within this area and Ayana Toqa Saon. The earliest Agiban Villages were found exclusively within Samaroara. The ultra fertile soil in the area made this region highly desirable for farming. Thus it should be no surprise that many of the Rihnit Towns in this region have been built using the frames of the few Agiba Buildings that remain. The volcano which had helped the Agiba rise to power was dying and during its final eruption, the volcano brought the Agiban Civilization down with it. It also allowed the area to be occupied by a new group of invaders. But these invaders failed to realize that even an area like Amaroo Atani can only take so much. The locals living around Amaroo Atani had over logged the area so much, that a landslide caused a carbon dioxide eruption to occur in the stagnant parts of the lake. The result was that all the animals nearby the lake that couldn’t somehow escape (be it flying or being on higher ground) died. Only the tales of the story remained from the few who had lived on higher elevation and were able to avoid the co2 that had choked the others below them to death. Samaroara as a result remained largely empty until a while after the Rihnit arrived. Since then, the Rihnit try to be very careful with their farming and forestry in the area. Partially, they had stopped using regular trees for wood and started to use bamboo and hemp instead. 'Economy' Samaroara is diverse in terms of the variety of economic activity that goes on. Crops grown throughout much of the other regions (eg: prickly pear, barrel, and saguaro cacti) are grown in the drier parts of Samaroara. Around the lakes apples, coconuts, and yams are grown as food crops. Hemp is commonly grown and used to make fabric, clothing, and occasionally paper. Bamboo is also grown and farmed as an alternative to wood. The bamboo is used for constructing buildings and is highly valued by people throughout Ojasaon. Both the farming of bamboo and hemp has shot up since farming cotton proved to be an ecological failure. But Samaroara is most well known for its ultra fertile soil, glass, and iron. People will go as close to the volcanoes as they can to harvest the rocks in those area. The rocks they collect are then crushed up and sold to other parts of Ojasaon. Iron found in the areas closer to the volcanoes is both much higher quality and purer than the iron found in other parts of Ojasaon. The glass in this area is the most coveted item both among the Rihnit and those living outside of Ojasaon. It has no real practical use, however the glass is extremely colorful. It’s used to make glass pottery and stained windows. The people who harvest this glass can easily amass a huge fortune if they’re lucky. Category:Geography Category:Rihnit Category:Ojasaon Category:History